


Solace for Nightmares

by jollykittenbanana



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Post-The Blood of Olympus, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-11-01 10:29:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10919985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jollykittenbanana/pseuds/jollykittenbanana
Summary: As Nico and Will's relationship deepens, Nico is still having nightmares about his time in tartarus, but with a little Solace it'll all be okay :)





	Solace for Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for tumblr's 2016 PJO secret santa for prettylittledeatheater.

“Shit,” I cursed under my breath, quickly swinging my sword back at the camper whose surprise attack had just caught me very much by surprise. Luckily I’d avoided the brunt of their swing, but they’d still managed to cut a decent gash into my left arm just above my elbow. _Well whatever_ , I thought now, _my sword arm is fine_. I mentally shrugged to myself and counterattacked, and a few swings later, the camper, who I now recognised as an Ares kid, decided to retreat.

Now that he was dealt with, I could continue on with the plan. With a quick glance to my arm, which I quickly decided would be fine, I continued stalking forward to my position. The plan for capture the flag today relied on me, so I wasn’t going to let a little injury make me let my team down. _Will is counting on me_ , I was determined to keep my promise and stick to the plan.

Realising what I’d just thought I felt my face heat up.  
_No, not Will. The team. Everyone. Everyone including Will._ Mentally letting out a groan decided to ignore my own commentary and get on with the game.

As he got closer to where the other team had his their flag, I found myself a bit of a bank to hide behind and wait for the others to get into position. Looking around to check if I could spot any of my teammates, I noticed Will behind a tree over to my right.

Will spotted me too and grinned, setting off those damn butterflies again. I could feel them fluttering around even more when Will waved at me, and I dumbly lifted his arm to wave back. It was then that I saw all colour drain out of his face, though I couldn’t tell why.

But then I felt the twinge of pain in the arm I’d raised and when I looked down I saw that the blood from my cut had soaked my entire sleeve and my hand was red with blood. _That’s gonna be a pain to clean_ , was my only thought before I heard a thud and looked back over to Will.

He’d dropped his dagger and begun sprinting over to me, almost tripping over a tree root on his way. He was by my side in a split second and wasted no time in checking the wound. He grabbed my arm and pulled the sleeve of my shirt back to expose the area, and as the shirt peeled off my skin I let out a hiss of discomfort.

“You could have blown our cover, you know,” I said to him, amused by how worried he looked over such a small injury, turning my arm this way and that to look at the gash from every angle.

“How did this happen? Are you okay? Of course you’re not okay, look at you! Oh Gods Nico look how much you’re bleeding,” He was babbling, speaking quickly and staring only at my arm, his eyes never leaving the spot. “Well? Say something!”

“We all have swords how do you think it happened,” I rolled my eyes and tried to calm myself down. Will fawning all over made me feel funny somehow, but I didn’t want _him_ to know that. “It’s fine, _Mum_ , I think I can survive this one.”  
“Nicholas di Angelo, do not take that tone with me young man,” Will joked half-heartedly, his smile was tight and he still hadn’t looked at my face yet.

“How many times do I have to tell you my full name isn’t Nicholas,” I said as I tried to pull my arm back, he was starting to put _me_ on edge with all that worrying.  
“Nico, don’t try me right now. This is nasty,” He winced, “I need to disinfect it like, now.”

Tugging on my arm, which he’d firmly kept in his grasp when I tried to pull back, he started to lead my back toward camp.  
“Hey, we’re in the middle of a game!” I protested.  
“Since when do you care about that?” He smirked at me over his shoulder and the look alone would have made me spontaneously combust, had it not been for the 10 campers from the other team that suddenly surrounded us.

“Very sneaky guys,” Piper commented, dagger drawn and pointed at us.  
“What gave us away?” Will asked cheekily, “Was it the yelling?”  
“Or maybe Will’s awful cammo gear?” I suggested.  
“Hey! This is great cammo gear!” He yelled indignant, and it seemed as though he’d forgotten not only my injury that was so urgent, but also that we were in the middle of being attacked.  
“Yeah sure, Will, it looks really great,” I, however, had not forgotten the latter and was looking around warily, trying to figure out how we’d possibly escape this.  
Will turned to me, his face still showing he was teasing, but his voice was soft, “You really think I look great?”

Suddenly the heat wasn’t just on my cheeks, I could already tell my whole face was flushing and the chuckle out of Will proved me right.

“Ugh, I can’t take it anymore,” Piper had a laugh in her voice, “Get ‘em,” She ordered, and her troops sprang into action.

Partially instinct and partially my Not Wanting To Be Here Anymore took over, and I took advantage of Will’s grip on my arm and the shadows from the trees around us to shadow travel. Melting into the darkness, I decided I may as well take us to the infirmary, seeing as Will would drag me there regardless of where we came out.

Emerging in the infirmary, I had to really concentrate on pulling us out of the shadow’s grip. My strength was still shaky after my complete overuse of my powers on the quest with Reyna and Coach Hedge. Not that I would ever admit out loud that I’d overdone it.

Once Will had blinked a few times and realised what had just happened, he was furious.  
“I told you no shadow travelling yet! You need more time to rest!” He began his rant, and although he was angry, I could tell he was glad to be in the infirmary and that I was no longer resisting.

I sat on the closest bed and pulled my sleeve up further while Will rushed around fetching bandages and antiseptic, still talking. I tuned it out though, closing my eyes and focusing on grounding myself, and a little bit on not letting any tears form in my eyes. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, my arm was starting to throb and pulse, the pain really hitting for the first time. Maybe the shadow jump had taken more out of me than I realised.

“Hey, Nico,” Will was saying, close to my face, and when I opened my eyes, he was standing right in front of me, his supplies set up on the bed next to me and his arm reaching toward me, but not yet touching. I simply nodded to let him know he could go ahead.

It really did hurt, and stung while Will cleaned up not only the wound but also the rest of my arm, but this pain was nothing compared to what I’d been through before. I wasn’t about to let myself cry over such a relatively small injury. When I sucked a breath in through my teeth while Will dabbed antiseptic onto the cut, Will gave a little grunt as an apology while he kept working away.

After a few minutes of cleaning and bandaging, Will was done, but still he didn’t move from where he stood in front of me. I sat quietly, waiting for him to piece together what he wanted to say.

He sighed. “Nico. I know it hurts. It wasn’t too bad, but a gash like that hurts. You don’t have to be tough with me. We’re the only ones here,” He spoke quietly, he was serious but gentle, like he didn’t want to scare me away but he needed to say it.

A moment passed while I thought about what I wanted to do. I wouldn’t let myself cry, not over this, and anyway, now that I was all bandaged up the throbbing was ebbing away. But I couldn’t make Will think that I didn’t trust him. That I didn’t need him. A war wagged inside of me, one side demanding me to be ever stoic and emotionless, but the other side urging me to show something, to act human and prove to Will that I cared for him in the same way as he showed his care for me.

I let a breath out as I made my decision, closing my eyes and slowly leaning forward, bending over until my forehead rested on Will’s shoulder. That small touch was more than I’d usually allow myself, but with Will, it didn’t feel so big. It felt natural.

After a moment like that, Will raised his arms, one hand going to my back and the other to rest on the back of my neck. That made me stiffen a little, but I relaxed and recognised that this was Will’s style of answering my contact. Telling me that he wasn’t laughing at my awkward attempt of physical contact and comforting me.

The longer we stayed like that in silence, the more comfortable with the contact I got, but just as I moved to get closer to Will, some other campers, apparently having finished capture the flag returned to camp, several walking into the infirmary with injuries to be treated.

When the door opened, I jumped back from Will, and although he looked disappointed, he quickly moved on to start attending to the campers coming in. I was back to my normal grumpiness in a second, and as I stood up I declared “It really wasn’t even that bad.”  
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Will sighed as he assessed someone else’s possibly broken leg.

I started towards the door, but after a second thought, I turned back around. “Thanks, Will.”  
He looked surprised for a moment, but then his smile lit up the room. Feeling those butterflies in my stomach again, I quickly turned and left the room. After checking that no one was around to see, I may or may not have smiled a little to myself, pleased with a job well done.

 

\---

 

_Hot_. It’s too hot. _My skin’s burning_. It feels like my flesh is about to melt off. _My lungs are on fire_. The pain in my chest gets worse with every breath. _Where am I?_ I know this place. _It’s dark_. My eyes are closed.

My thoughts are groggy and coming slowly, I feel as if I’m waking up after a long sleep. My eyes eventually open and above me I see red clouds, like blood vapour coating the whole sky like a poisonous fog.

Shock goes through my system as I recognise where I am.

I curl my fists in the sand that I’m lying on. It hurts. I hold one hand palm down in from on my face. Glass shards that are pure black stick out of my hand and fingers, blood dripping off my hand onto my face.

_Tartarus_.

I stood up quickly and looked around. Nothing in sight.

_I’m alone again_.

I walked, my bare feet getting sliced into shreds on the glass below my feet and between that pain, the pain in my lungs and the pain of being here, I thought I might die on the spot.

_Not again. I can’t do it again_.

Something shrieked in the sky and I looked up. A monster.

_Save me_.

The thing swooped down, I had to duck to avoid the giant talons grabbing at my shoulders as it brushed past me.

_Save me. Somebody_.

I ran, trying to find cover. But of course, this was Tartarus. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.

Tartarus.

“I can’t do it again,” I whispered to myself. The monster above me swooped again and this time I just feel to my knees. It scratched at me as it missed this time, but I knew I could never outrun it, never get away. I curled into a ball even as the broken glass dug into every part of my body.

_Save me. Will_.

Another swoop, and this time I felt it grab me in it’s claws and I knew it was over.

“Will!” I sat bolt upright in bed, breathing heavily and sweat pouring off of me. It was dark. _Where am I?_ Pain in my arm. _Did it get me?_ My thoughts were frantic. _Where is Will?_

Will.

I had to go to Will. Closing my eyes and thinking of nothing else, I fell into the shadows of Hades cabin, trying to focus my thoughts long enough to get where I needed to go. Fear still gripped me, my chest tight, but my desperation was enough that I managed to pull myself from the shadows in Apollo cabin.

Thumping into a dresser as I reappeared, my thoughts had returned to a jumble of fear and confusion, but my thumping and hysteric breathing was enough to wake up the whole cabin.

A girl, Kayla, I think, flicked on the light, rubbing her eyes.  
“Nico?” She asked, but my focus wasn’t on her. My eyes flickered around the room, at each of the bunks, searching. I barely noticed that every pair of eyes in the cabin were on me. I did notice, though, when Will sprang out of his bed, rushing over to my side.

“Nico? What’s happened?” He asked, concern in his eyes and seeing his face, feeling his hand on my shoulder was all it took to break me.

Tears pooled and overflowed in a matter of seconds, sobs pouring from my throat as I reached up, grabbing at Will, fisting my hands that were no longer torn by glass in his shirt.  
“I was back,” I tried to say, but it all came out garbled. “I was back in Tartarus. I-” I tried to explain but I couldn’t get any words out.

Luckily, Will didn’t need any more words.  
“Shh, Nico shh, it’s okay now, you’re here with me,” He cooed, talking quietly, pulling me in closer to him and petting my hair. Normally I wouldn’t have accepted the contact, but right now it was all that was grounding me. I wanted it. I _needed it_.

After a while, someone started grumbling about being tired. I could barely hear it over my own crying, but Will replied to the voice.  
“Sorry, Austin. Nico? Want to sleep here tonight? With me?” Will asked very tentatively, and although in normal circumstances I would be blushing and possibly rudely refusing, right now just the fact that I wouldn’t have to go back to my own cabin alone was enough to make me accept, so I nodded a little to let Will know.  
Before I could move to get up, Will scooped me up in his arms, carrying me like a princess. Without second thought, I wrapped my arms around Will’s shoulders and tucked my face into the crook of his neck. Will pulled the blankets back with one arm and placed me gently on his mattress, he laid me down next to the wall, facing in towards the room.  
After getting in himself, he pulled the blankets up to our chins and gave Kayla the okay to flick the lights off.

But the second I was enveloped in darkness again, my breath caught, a whimper dying in my throat. My hands shot up to grab at Will, make sure he was still there. Will was already reacting to my voice though, and his hands came to rest on my cheeks. “You’re okay, Nico, it’s all okay,” he assured.

“Can… Can I come a little closer?” I asked, my voice a whisper.  
“Of course, Nico,” Came the instant reply. I scooted closer, until my forehead was almost touching his on the pillow. “I-is this okay?”  
Will sighed, “Nope,” but before I had a second to panic, he’d already started manoeuvring us, laying his arm out and wiggling around so that my head resting on his bicep. He pulled me even closer, one arm came around my waist, his hand resting on the small of my back, the other hand placed on my shoulder. “That’s better now, isn’t it?” He whispered close to my ear and I nodded in response.

I pulled my arms up so that they could rest on Will’s chest and as I snuggled into Will I felt safe. I felt so safe and warm here in Will’s bed. Unlike in Hades cabin, here the room was warm with so many bodies inside, and never silent as the other shifted in their sleep and snored lightly.

Will must’ve been able to tell I wasn’t asleep, because just then he whispered to me. “It’s alright now, you can go to sleep. I’ll stay awake until you do. I’ll protect you.” I could feel the vibrations in his chest as he said that, and right now, I really did feel protected.

“Can you keep talking?” I asked and closed my eyes.  
“Mm? What about humming?” He asked me, and after my little nod that he could only feel because we were pressed so tightly together, he started to hum.

Now, it was no longer the darkness that enveloped me, but Will. It was Will’s warmth, his arms, his voice, his smell. I’d never felt safer. Although I was still shaken from my nightmare, it was only a matter of minutes before I’d fallen asleep, feeling the happiest I’d been in years.

\---

I moaned a little, as I started to wake up, bringing my arm up to rub my eyes with the back of my hand. It was so warm. So sunny in here. _That’s weird. My cabin is so dark usually?_  
“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” I heard a voice say.

My eyes flew open and I pulled back to see Will smiling down at me. I felt myself going red, quickly sat up to check who else was here to see Nico, the son of Hades cuddling up to a boy after having a nightmare. To my surprise, there was no one else in the cabin, all beds empty but Will’s.

I let my body go slack, flopped back down onto the mattress. “Where is everyone?” I asked, my voice a little hoarse after last night’s crying and sleeping.  
“Well, we’re kids of Apollo, we wake up at dawn,” Will explained.  
“What about you? Why are you still here?”  
“I didn’t want to wake you,” He told me shyly, “And I didn’t want to leave you.”  
I re-evaluated how much light was coming into the cabin. It had to be at least 9am, that’s _hours_ after sunrise. _Just how long has he been lying here waiting for me to wake up?_

The full force of why he was here hit me then, the nightmare coming back to him, the memories of shadow travelling into Will’s cabin and crying on his floor.  
“Um, Will? I’m really sorry about last night.”  
“Sorry? Why would you be sorry? I’m just happy you came to me. Even though I don’t approve of the shadow travelling,” He mused the last bit to himself.  
“But, wasn’t it a pain?” I asked, expecting Will to tell me then how much of a burden I was.  
“What? Of course not! If anyone here’s a pain, surely it’s me? I’m always tagging along after you and bugging you,” he said sheepishly.  
“I actually, um,” I started, “I actually like that about you,” I said, tucking my face down, not wanting to meet his eyes.  
“Nico!” Will cried and as he was about to give me a hug, he paused, remembering my usual aversion to contact, probably confused after last night.  
“It’s okay,” I told him, eager for the touch. I did look up then, just to see the massive smile I knew Will would be showing me. I was right.

After a moment in Will’s warm arms again, I yawned.  
“You do look tired, Nico. Do you want to sleep a little more? I can stay. O-or go?” Will stuttered. _Cute_ , I thought.  
“No,” I said, “I’m fine, we can get up.”

After getting up, Will started to change, pulling his shirt off. I could feel myself staring, even as I mentally yelled at myself to stop, so I quickly decided to excuse myself.  
“I-I’ll, um, go get dressed,” I said as I walked to the door. After a second thought, I asked Will one more thing. “Where will you be? Once I’m dressed.”

“Uh, getting some food probably, I’m starved,” Will decided.  
“Okay,” I told him, “See you there?” I’d already started out the door, but I still heard his happy reply of “Sure!”

\---

I spent the day by Will’s side. Not unusual, honestly, but what was unusual was that instead of Will finding me occasionally, it was mostly me following Will around. I found myself not wanted to leave his side, and so, unusually, I let myself be a little clingy, show a little emotion.

When he got food, I got food. When he had to patch some kids up in the infirmary, I offered to help out (which I couldn’t really do, but at least I was a friendly face), and when Will decided to sing at the campfire that night… I decided enough was enough, and sat back to watch.

And watch I did. I watched his happy face, his arm slinging over one of his sibling’s shoulders while he belted out some ballad. I so wanted to spend the night with him again; even though I’d been awakened in the middle of the night after a horrifying nightmare, last night I got some of the best sleep of my life since finding out I was a demigod.

But, I was still the king of darkness and all that other stuff, and I didn’t think I’d have a nightmare again, so I had no excuse to try to spend the night. Sighing to myself, I gave up on that idea and resigned myself to sleeping in my own dark, depressing cabin alone.

\---

_Hot. It’s too hot_. No. _My skin’s burning. It feels like my flesh is about to melt off_. No, no, no. _My lungs are on fire_. NO. _The pain in my chest gets worse with every breath_. No, not again. _Where am I? I know this place_. How did I stop this last time? _It’s dark_. Will. _Open my eyes_.

“Will!” My eyes shoot open and I’m awake. Breathing heavily, I pull my knees up to my chest. _Why’s it always so dark in here?_ My throat hurts, I think I’ve been yelling in my sleep again. At least I woke myself up before it got bad this time. Thanks to Will.

I won’t allow tears to well up. _It wasn’t that bad this time. You’re fine, Nico_.  
_I want Will._  
I can’t bother Will again.  
Go to sleep.  
“I want Will.” I whisper to myself.

Just then, the door creaks open. My eyes dart to the doorway, my breath caught in my chest.  
“Nico?” It’s Will’s voice.  
“Will? Gods, you scared me. What are you doing here? The harpies could’ve gotten you!” I was so relieved that it was just Will and not some hellish creature from Tartarus at my door that I felt like crying again.

“Well, I was worried. About you. I thought you might have another nightmare. That you might need me,” He told me, closing the door and creeping toward the bed in the pitch dark. _I do need you_. I wouldn’t say it. “I’m glad you came,” _I basically said it!_ I mentally face-palmed.

Once Will had made his way over and sat on the edge of my bed, he mumbled to himself “It’s so dark in here.” _You’re telling me_. After a few moments of silence, Will spoke again.

“I head you yelling on my way over here, Nico,” He said softly. “Did you have another nightmare?”  
Instead of forming an answer, my throat constricted and let out a sob.  
Taking that as my reply, Will scooted over so he could wrap his arms around me.  
“Oh, I’m sorry, Nico, its’s okay, you can let it out.” This time I was more myself, and instead of mindlessly clinging, I wrapped my arms around Will’s neck.  
“Can you stay here? Tonight?” I asked him with my shaky voice.  
“Of course, I’m here, Nico, it’s alright,” as he moved to lay next to me in bed, pulling me into his chest again, I thought maybe he was right, maybe it was alright.

Will started humming again, and I’d soon calmed my breathing down to long deep breaths. I was half asleep, in between awake and dreaming when Will spoke again. He leaned down, kissed my forehead and said “You’re not alone anymore, Nico. I’m here. Always.”

I didn’t respond, was too far gone to respond. But, with the last of my conscious mind, I nuzzled my face into Will’s chest.

**Author's Note:**

> leave some criticism if you have any, i'm still wondering how I'm going with this writing thing, thanks! 
> 
> @jollykittenbanana on tumblr


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